Wish you weren't here: sporting trips from the 2005 Lions debacle, the Fredalo incident, the Brookline flare-up to the cringeworthy Stanford sideshow

With the Stanford series, already a rather tacky sideshow to the business of world cricket , being enveloped in off-field scandal Sportsmail online takes a look at ten ill-fated tours and jaunts that to paraphrase Blackadder started badly, ended in disaster and the last said about the middle the better.

1. Stanford Circus

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Causing a storm: Stanford is said to have plonked Emily Prior, wife of wicketkeeper Matt onto his lap

Allen Stanford's admission of a dislike of Test cricket has made him an object of suspicion within the sport but his huge cash injection into the fledgling Twenty20 version of the sport has been the likes of which the sport has never seen before.

He has offered the winners of a one-off game between England and a West Indies All-Star side, known as the Stanford Superstars, a $20m purse and pledged much more towards the development of the sport worldwide has bought him a certain credibility.

It hasn't bought him the right to be seen cavorting like a drunken uncle at the wedding with the WAGS of the English cricket team, an event which has lead to much embarrassment and profuse apologies.

2. British Lions Tour of Hell with Alistair Campbell as PR chief

Even the weather was against them: Sir Clive Woodward (middle) walks with Alistair Campbell (left) to a British and Irish Lions

Never one for shirking a challenge, Alistair Campbell, fresh from managing the spin for Tony Blair's Labour government and the campaign in Iraq, found himself on the plane with the British Lions, bound for the ill-fated tour of New Zealand in 2005 as their PR chief.

Causing controversy from the start Campbell was accused of being an 'overbearing control freak' with the Lions camp being stage-managed, slick and sanitised.

Campbell's mere presence was a story in itself with one member of his backroom staff having helped compile the discredited dossier that led to the invasion of Iraq.

The captain Brian O'Driscoll was ruled out of the tour through injury after just two minutes of the first Test, the series was lost 3-0 and the Lions suffered their heaviest defeat in the 114-year history of the series in a 48 -18 defeat in Wellington.

Campbell was left with stories too great to spin and he made a swift departure from the set up on his return.

3. Ronnie O'Sullivan charged with assault on match official at 1996 World Championships

Ronnie O'Sullivan physically assaulted tournament official Mike Ganley at the 1996 World Championships

The most promising player of his generation had only won his first Masters in 1995 but at the following year's World Championship O'Sullivan's guilty verdict for assault on a match official left him fined and facing a ban from the sport.

Controversial from the start of the tournament after playing left-handed shots in a match against Alain Robidoux, 'The Rocket' found himself in even deeper water after directing punches at match official Mike Ganley.

A £20,000 fine and suspended two-year ban followed as did O'Sullivan's exit from the tournament in the very next round.

4. Handing back the Ashes to Australia 5 - 0

No contest: Australia thrashed England 5-0 in the 2006/07 Ashes series

The euphoria of winning the Ashes for the first time in 18 years was short lived as England's attempts at retaining the urn ended in embarrassment and a 5 - 0 whitewash in Australia.

England's woeful performance was personified by the first ball of the first Test in Brisbane as Steve Harmison sent his opener down the track so wide it ended up in skipper Andrew Flintoff's hands at second slip.

England had retained the Ashes for the shortest period ever, just 15 months and would have to wait two and a half years for the next Ashes series and to attempt their retribution.

5. EURO 1996 - Gazza, Sheringham, McManaman and the 'dentists chair.'

Teddy Sheringham and Paul Gascoigne repeat their famous dentist chair trick as England neat Scotland in the 1996 European Championships

The lack of competitive games in the build-up to the 1996 European Championships led the Football Association to organise a trip for the squad to Hong Kong, the events whilst there would bring claims for manager Terry Venables to be sacked and England's star player, Paul Gascoigne, to be omitted from the squad.

The trip coincided with Paul Gascoigne's 29th birthday, where a visit to a bar ended with Teddy Sheringham, Steve McManaman and Gazza being photographed taking part in the infamous 'dentists chair' event in the early hours of the morning.

The reaction was unprecedented and further compounded as the first class cabin carrying the players home from the blighted trip was subjected to thousands of pounds worth of damage.

Wild celebrations: The USA team ran onto the green to celebrate Justin Leonard's dramatic putt at the 1999 Ryder Cup

Going into the final day of the Ryder Cup in Massachusetts the Europeans had a 10-6 and were looking good to retain the cup for the third successive time.

But it ended in controversy with European vice-captain Sam Torrance describing the scenes as 'disgusting.'

The game turned at the 17th hole. Justin Leonard holed a remarkable 45-foot putt sparking wild celebrations with American fans running all over the putting green with Jose Maria Olazabal waiting to putt with a chance to win the hole.

Olazabal tried to focus but missed his opportunity and the Europeans had thrown away their lead and the trophy that they'd held for four years.

The English cricket team had a wonderful opportunity to restore some pride to the game following the heavy Ashes defeat a couple of months earlier at the ICC Cricket World Cup but instead were embroiled in controversy that saw Andrew Flintoff removed as vice-captain.

Following a six-wicket defeat to Group C rivals New Zealand Flintoff led a group of team-mates on a drinking session that ended with the all-rounder having to be pulled from the sea after his outing on a pedalo.

Ashen-faced Flintoff apologised, was stripped of his captaincy and dropped from the side.

8. Middlesbrough's cup finals then relegation

What went wrong? Bryan Robson and Juninho suffered relagtion and two cup final defeats in 1997

By 1996 Bryan Robson had put together quite a squad at the Stadium of Light with the likes of Juninho bringing excitement and flair to the side and two cup finals in the 1996-1997 season were testament to that.

The season ended, however, in great disappointment.

Earlier in the season Robson faced criticism for claiming the club couldn't fulfil a fixture against Blackburn due to illness leaving him with a severely-depleted squad, unable to put out a side.

The resulting three-point deduction was enough to see Boro relegated at the end of the season.

9. Paula Radcliffe at the Athens Olympics - Dropping out of Marathon and failing in the 10,000m

Paula Radcliffe sits on the side of the road after dramatically pulling out of the marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics

World No.1 Radcliffe had arrived at the Olympics in Athens as favourite to win both the marathon and 10,000m races and bring home gold for Team GB but it ended with claims from some quarters that she was 'a quitter.'

A leg injury and stomach complaint meant it couldn't have gone worse for the running ace as she pulled out on the 23 mile mark in the marathon and didn't even finish the 10,000m event.

10. England rugby's decline after winning the 2003 World Cup

England lost two Six Nations matches in 2004 just months after their unforgettable World Cup triumph in Sydney

Entering the 2004 Six Nations Championship as holders England were also World Champions and had the opportunity to further cement their position in the annals of world rugby.

The competition started well enough with wins against Italy and Scotland but later defeats to Ireland and France ensured only a third-place position and ushered in a dark period for English rugby as further key personnel took retirement from the international game and subsequent tournaments saw the team finish no higher than fourth.